Gift Helps Students Master Password Security

In theory, passwords are supposed to deter attackers from being able to login to your
computer and wreak their favorite kind of havoc. In practice, passwords can be notoriously
easy to discover. And you don't even have to be a high-end hacker to do it.

"Anybody can walk around an office and find people's passwords in a five-minute sweep,"
says Guy Hembroff, an assistant professor in the School of Technology and the chair
of the computer network and system administration program. That's because computer
users write their passwords on paper and leave them in (or on) their desks. It's not
just a matter of being careless, however. Most of us have to login to a number of
servers, applications, websites, whatever, and each one can have a different password.
Remembering them all is just too hard for the typical user.

A new technology, Single Sign On, or SSO, is changing that, and students majoring
in computer network and systems administration are learning to master it. Here's how
it works.

"Basically, SSO uses software to capture each of your login screens," Hembroff explains.
"That way, when you login to various applications, you don't have to login again and
again, and you don't have to write anything down."

Students will learn SSO on software donated to the university by the Lexington, Mass.-based
company Imprivata. Its OneSign password management system is heavily used in the financial
and health-care industries, where security concerns are paramount.

"We chose OneSign because Imprivata offers the best password management system on
the market," Hembroff said. "It's proven to be reliable, adaptable and secure."

Training in OneSign will be particularly useful for computer network and system administration
students after they graduate.

"Thanks to Imprivata's gift, our students will be learning the design and technology
behind SSO, while gaining valuable hands-on experience that they will carry with them
into the work environment," said Hembroff.

For more information on Imprivata, visit http://www.imprivata.com.

The BS in Computer Network and System Administration prepares students for employment
in the computer information technology field, in areas such as network engineering,
security engineering, and system administration. For more information, visit http://www.tech.mtu.edu/cnsa/index.html
contact Hembroff at 906-487-3248 or hembroff@mtu.edu

Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than
7,000 students from 60 countries around the world. Founded in 1885, the University
offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology,
engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics,
and social sciences. Our beautiful campus in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula overlooks
the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.